Shloka 11
जनकस्य युद्धोपदेशः — Janaka’s Instruction on Steadfast Battle-Conduct
सर्वे स्वर्गतिमिच्छन्ति सुयुद्धेनातिमन्यव: । क्षोभयेयुरनीकानि सागरं मकरा यथा
sarve svargatim icchanti suyuddhenātimanyavaḥ | kṣobhayeyur anīkāni sāgaraṃ makarā yathā ||
Bhīṣma said: All noble kshatriyas, fierce in pride and valor, long to attain heaven through a righteous battle. Therefore, like makaras that churn and agitate the ocean, they surge into the enemy’s formations and throw the armies into turmoil—driven by wrath, ambition, and the warrior’s code that equates courageous combat with exalted destiny.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kshatriya ideal: many warriors seek heavenly merit through courageous, 'proper' combat, and this aspiration—mixed with pride and anger—drives them to shake enemy formations. It implicitly raises an ethical tension between dharmic duty in war and the passions that fuel violence.
Bhishma is describing the mindset and battlefield effect of elite kshatriyas: intent on winning heavenly reward through valor, they charge into opposing armies and create upheaval, compared to makaras stirring the ocean.